


Sol ( First Draft Chapters 1-3)

by Polaroid_Memoir



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Dad!Cor, Gen, MT!Prompto, Spoilers, Spoilers for Chapter 13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:21:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24961477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polaroid_Memoir/pseuds/Polaroid_Memoir
Summary: Sometimes when you're out on a routine perimeter mission, you accidentally discover a young man who may or may not be a military experiment.Cor sets about rehabilitating MT!Prompto, who ends up making fast friends with our favourite Chocobros along the way.Original FFXV kinkmeme prompt is herehttp://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/3451.html?thread=3436155These are the first three chapters to Sol which you can find here (https://archiveofourown.org/works/10906404). I have since re-written those chapters but I'm keeping the originals here for posterity.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Prompto Argentum, Prompto Argentum & Cor Leonis
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Sol](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10906404) by [Polaroid_Memoir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polaroid_Memoir/pseuds/Polaroid_Memoir). 



At breakfast Gladiolus had been informed by his father that they needed to make a quick stop at Cor's place to pick up some documents and reports before heading to the Citadel for the day. Gladiolus didn't mind, however the concern in his father’s voice upon announcing the visit was unsettling. Gladiolus guessed it was something to do with the information Cor had relating to Niflheim military activity. Gladiolus made his way to the front drive where his father was waiting for him.

“Gladiolus are you ready?” Clarus called, he was already sitting in the driver's seat of the car.

“Yeah,” Gladiolus said lazily as he opened the passenger side door and sat down.

“Before we head out, I need to tell you something. Cor is currently looking after a... casualty he found during a recent skirmish, the young man in question is quite unwell and might behave a little unusually.”

“How do you mean unusually?” Gladiolus said looking confused.

“We don't know much about his past, Cor has been trying his best to find relevant information, but it appears he was being used a test subject in Niflheim's military experiments. Cor is working to get him rehabilitated, if he can cooperate with us he may have vital information regarding the recent increase in Niflheim's activity-” Clarus took a pause for breath “- I know it's a lot to take in, but please try to maintain your composure when we get there.”

“I will,” Gladiolus responds with conviction.

“Good.”

Clarus started the engine and drove the car carefully down the driveway.

It was only a short ten minute drive but Gladiolus found he couldn't focus on anything, he felt both curious and apprehensive. His father had trusted him to come along, perhaps to try and expose him to some of the horrors Niflheim were capable of, considering this Gladiolus did not want to let his father down.

It wasn't long until the car pulled up into a familiar driveway. Gladiolus noticed that all of the blinds on the house were shut, it was impossible to see in any of the windows. This struck Gladiolus as being unusual since it was still early morning.

Once the car had stopped the pair exited and began to make their way up the gravel pathway, the sound of their footsteps crunching in unison until they reached the door. Clarus pressed the button on the intercom and after a few seconds Cor's voice crackled through the speaker “State your name and business.”

“It's us Cor,” Clarus responded. The intercom buzzed in response signalling the door was open, Clarus pushed the door open letting Gladiolus enter first before closing the door firmly behind him. An invasive combination of smells assaulted Gladiolus' senses, the strong scent of bleach and something faintly unpleasant that he couldn't place. The pair peered down the hallway, it was lit by a solitary night light plugged into the wall socket halfway between the entrance and the staircase. The low lighting and strange odour gave Gladiolus an uneasy feeling, almost like he was being smothered. He shook his head to clear the sensation.

Clarus started mechanically towards the sitting room and Gladiolus followed. Cor was stood just inside the entrance, he greeted them wordlessly with a simple nod of the head and gestured for them to sit down. He looked exhausted, dark rings around his eyes, washed out complexion.

Gladiolus looked around the room, it was lit only by a thin beam of sunlight streaking in from between the central gap in the blinds, it was easier to see in this room compared to the hallway which gave Gladiolus a sense of relief. There were two empty armchairs arranged in a semi circle around a sofa.

On the sofa sat a small man with bandages all over his body, his legs curled up beside him, clutching a bucket to his chest with both arms. He was wearing a spare set of Cor's training clothes, too baggy for his lean frame. He looked up at the guests entering the room with wide panic stricken eyes. Cor took the spare seat on the sofa next to the frightened man and placed a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. It worked, the panic melted away from his expression. Clarus took the chair closest to Cor. Gladiolus took next armchair over. He felt awkward to be directly facing the mysterious man so he shifted his position in the chair diagonally a little so he could see everyone in the group easily.

“Thank you both for coming,” Cor finally broke the silence “I think introductions are in order.” Cor turned to face the small man next to him and said whilst gesturing in turn “The older gentleman there is called Clarus, and the younger is his son Gladiolus, they are allies okay? Allies.” Cor firmly put stress on the last word.

“Allies. Greetings! Unit zero zero zero six- No. Incorrect. Prompto. My new designation is Prompto.” he looked towards Cor, fearfully as if he was expecting to be reprimanded. Instead Cor smiled warmly and gave Prompto's shoulder a little squeeze to encourage him.

“I am Prompto, it is nice to meet you.” he sounded clunky as if the line were rehearsed.

“It's a pleasure to meet you Prompto,” Clarus said gently, he then shot a look over to Gladiolus cueing him to follow up. Gladiolus was a little slow on the uptake, he'd been dumbfounded by Prompto's robotic delivery and his initial use of some sort of code number as a name.

“Yeah... Nice to meet you,” Gladiolus finally replied. His father was right, it was a lot to take in. Gladiolus had so many questions about this strange blonde haired man. Of course he couldn't ask them with Prompto right there, despite being awkward it would be outright disrespectful.

Prompto's face contorted and his body tensed up, Cor spotted the shift immediately and pushed Prompto's head forward so his mouth was over the bucket. He began to heave dramatically, the first few were dry until he spluttered up something unnatural. It looked like motor oil, he spat it out into the bucket with disgust. The unpleasant smell that haunted Gladiolus in the hallway returned with stronger force. It was rancid, like spoilt meat. Once it was over, Cor handed Prompto a glass of water from the table beside the sofa, Prompto happily drank a few sips. Prompto then looked awkwardly at the visitors. Gladiolus was trying his utmost to try and hide the feeling of sheer disgust he felt upon viewing the vile expulsion. He looked to Cor and his father, they were wholly unaffected. Gladiolus realised, the bucket, his elders having no reaction. This was the sickness his father had told him about. It must not be contagious, he reasoned otherwise Prompto would be in a hospital. All Gladiolus could feel was sympathy, those Nif freaks had used Prompto as a laboratory animal and messed him up. After a short silence Prompto spoke up to assert himself.

“I'm trying to be better. Cor is helping me to purge, but... Ally Gladiolus is a spectacular specimen, peak physical condition! If I were like that I wouldn't be this weak,” Prompto remarked. He gazed upon Gladiolus with awe and jealousy.

“Prompto, here it's considered improper to refer to your allies as specimens, remember?” Cor said with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

“Apologies!” Prompto lowered his head in a bow before coming back up to continue “Gladiolus, your muscles are impressive...” Prompto looked like he as struggling for words.

Gladiolus felt weird to be complemented in such a manner but he found it hard to hold it against the guy. It was clear his vocabulary was limited, comprised almost entirely of cold scientific terminology, Gladiolus was beginning to realise why Cor was looking so worn out. He was having to keep up with his normal tasks and teach an ex-military experiment how to communicate with people.

Gladiolus decided to lighten the mood by flexing a bicep a whilst stating “I had to train pretty hard to get this way.” Prompto gawked at Gladiolus and excitedly turned to look at Cor.

“Cor,” Prompto paused like he was struggling with something before blurting out “I want to train too, to be a better subject, stronger. Then I won't keep failing missions.” Cor couldn't help but chuckle lightly at Prompto's enthusiasm.

“You have to get in better shape first,” he responded softly.

“I will.” Prompto's resolve was strong.

Clarus had been quietly observing the scene for a while but spoke up. “Gladiolus, can I leave you with Prompto for a while, Cor and I have some business to attend to in the study.”

“Sure thing,” Gladiolus replied.

Clarus rose off of his chair and left the room. Cor hesitated a moment, taking time to check Prompto was comfortable and fussing over him slightly before he got up. “I'm trusting you to watch over him a while Gladio,” Cor said nervously.

“I got 'im, you go before my Dad gets impatient.” Gladiolus jested.

* * *

By the time Cor had reached the study Clarus had already made himself comfortable in the visitor's chair on the opposite side of Cor's desk. Clarus could be impatient at times but Cor understood why, the job of being the King's Shield was extremely demanding on his time. Cor walked over to his seat and sat down, on his desk there sat a large black binder, it contained a quarterly summary of all the Niflheim activity he and his team had witnessed within the kingdom and, as per Regis' request, a complete write up on Prompto's condition starting from when Cor discovered him. Prompto had changed everything they knew about Niflheim's Magitek Troopers.

He pushed the binder towards Clarus. “It's been difficult to keep up at the moment, I hope it's adequate,” Cor said as Clarus picked it up and started to thumb through the first few pages.

“Good work Cor. Regis will be pleased to see such a detailed report. You and your team have proven invaluable recently,” Clarus's voice was sincere, he continued “I've got some good news regarding your work, Regis has granted you leave of your normal duties for the time being until you can get young Prompto into a good position. He's pleased with the rehabilitation work you've been doing with him and thinks it's imperative that you continue, he believes that Prompto will be an invaluable insight into Niflheim operations.”

A wave of relief washed over Cor, but then anxiety crept up. “I'm grateful to Regis for affording me the time, and I don't mean this disrespectfully, but I'm concerned who will be in charge of my team whilst I'm working on this?”

“We knew you'd be concerned. Of course Regis, myself and the other council members considered this very carefully. We've vetted the Kingsglaive and found someone very capable to cover for you and continue your field work. You know her, Crowe Altius. She's shown exceptional leadership I think you'll agree.”

“That's an exceptional choice.” Cor breathed out steadily, he was reassured, he knew Crowe was more than capable enough to lead the skirmishes into Niflheim territory in his stead. 

Clarus was still flipping through the binder skim-reading Cor's report.

“I see Prompto has come a long way,” Clarus stated staring down at the information before him. “He's been with you for only two weeks, you've managed to introduce a few basic concepts to him. I'm impressed.”

“It's been very difficult, it appears that whatever the MT program is they treat the people they use like livestock. They receive no formal education and appear to be brainwashed into taking orders without question. We've been fighting MT's for years, the thought never crossed my mind that they might actually be human-” Cor shuddered. “-from what I've manage to glean from Prompto they administer a regimen of various drugs, chemicals and even biological materials over years, which he insisted he needs, he said without it he cannot successfully complete the program... I've had to tell him that we're starting a new experiment, to purge the concoction from his system and start again. I... I'm sure you can get what you need from the report.”

“It will be a while before I can read it thoroughly, please continue,” Clarus insisted.

“I believe that Niflheim have been experimenting with human daemon hybrids and I believe they are doing this by purposefully infecting their test subjects with the Starscourge, it's unconscionable, but it explains why their army is so powerful. Prompto was lucky when I found him, it was under the cover of night but I soon noticed he was extremely photosensitive, if he stays in direct sunlight for too long it's, horrifying... His body starts to... boil and melt. It's why we've assumed that the MT's were just empty shells until now. We've never managed to see what was inside before,” Cor was starting to look extremely uncomfortable but he continued “But exposing Prompto to the sunlight in short doses appears to aid with the purging.”

“It is extremely disturbing. It proves that our enemies will go to any lengths to gain military superiority.” Clarus was happy for the explanation but he could tell Cor was getting more distressed the longer he went on, Clarus hoped to change the direction of the conversation. “You've picked an interesting name for the boy.”

“He learns fast. It seemed to fit.” Cor felt slightly embarrassed but he didn't let it show.

“It's just like you to pick something practical,” Clarus mused.

“Yes... Well, we'd better get back to the sitting room, I imagine you have a busy day ahead of you as usual.” Cor changed the topic awkwardly. He added “And thank you for bringing Gladiolus with you. I'm hoping that Prompto being exposed to others nearer to his age will be good for his development.”

“I'm sure it will,” Clarus said as he stood up and made for the door.

* * *

After Cor and Clarus left the room Gladiolus sat staring at Prompto for a while stupefied. He had no idea what to do or say, eventually he broke the silence. “It's pretty dark in here huh?”

“The subject-” Prompto paused, he looked vexed “-I... I can't stay in the sunlight, it hurts me.”

“What do you mean?” Gladiolus responded without thinking

“It's burns the flesh away,” Prompto stated simply as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

“...That's awful.” Gladiolus couldn't believe what he was hearing. What kind of sick experiments were those Nifs doing?

“All subjects have the same attributes at the Base. But the subjects are different here, they can go outside without their armour. But Cor says it's possible to adjust! Cor is trying a new experiment, sometimes Cor instructs the subject to put it's...” Prompto paused again to correct himself. “My, my hand in the light, it hurts less each time but it is still painful. Cor says I will get stronger, one day it won't burn and I can go outside again. I want to achieve the best results, I want to succeed,” Prompto declared with confidence in his voice.

A few moments passed in silence, Gladiolus was lost trying to make sense of what Prompto had said. Without armour? Gladiolus fixated on this detail, Prompto needed armour to go outside? This just raised more questions, he was certain he would have to quiz his Father after they left just to settle his curiosity. He didn't feel comfortable asking Prompto directly. Besides, Gladiolus wasn't sure that Prompto understood what he was any more than Gladiolus would.

Without warning Prompto started to heave again, with haste Gladiolus moved over to the space on the couch Cor had previously occupied and helped Prompto position himself better over the bucket. Gladiolus gently tilted Prompto's head forward as Cor had done before. The hacking and spluttering sounds were too visceral, Gladiolus could barely stand it, he couldn't help but avert his eyes as the vomit slopped out of Prompto's mouth. Luckily it all landed in the bucket, the smell was enough to make Gladiolus nauseous, he suppressed the feeling successfully.

“Water?” Gladiolus stated picking up the half full glass from the side and offering it to the blonde. Prompto took the glass and carefully swallowed a few mouthfuls of water.

“Thank you.” he handed the glass to Gladiolus who placed back on the side table. “This reaction, Cor calls it a … sickness from the old experiment. Not desirable. I, I don't need it, but what if it doesn't stop.”

“I think you'll get better in no time at all.” Gladiolus offered his support.

“You really think so? Your words...” he looked intensely at Gladiolus whilst briefly taking a hand off of his bucket and gently tapping it to his chest as if he were trying to indicate something.

Gladiolus was confused by the smaller man's gesture until he realised it was because Prompto simply didn't know how to describe his feelings at all, it was heart rending.

Gladiolus couldn't understand what the hell would drive Niflheim into treating anyone this way. It wasn't right, taking people and brainwashing them like this. 

Gladiolus judged from Prompto's appearance that they were around the same age give or take a couple of years, and in all that time Prompto had been denied basic freedoms, denied his youth, denied the right to his own life. Gladiolus didn't want to know what kind of people would do this to other human beings, his emotions were negative slurry, he had to level himself out before speaking again. Gladiolus looked straight into Prompto's clear blue eyes.

“I believe in you Prompto, you will be stronger, I'm sure of it,” Gladiolus said with passion.

Gladiolus didn't anticipate the reaction. Tears started to roll down Prompto's cheeks.

“I'm sorry, did I say something bad?” Gladiolus panicked, thinking that he'd upset Prompto.

“Subject responds positively to your words. A favourable reaction.” Prompto asserted, a wide smile broke out across his face as the tears stopped. Gladiolus was relieved, he beamed back at Prompto.

Prompto's gaze lingered on his companion's expression until it flicked to the space behind Gladiolus focussing on something, Gladiolus turned to see what it was. His father and Cor, hovering in the doorway.

“How long have you been standing there?” Gladiolus mumbled.

“Long enough,” Clarus replied looking at him with pride.

“Thank you Gladio.” Cor smiled warmly.

“No probs,” Gladio muttered. He felt slightly embarrassed that his elders had seen him lose his cool.

“We have to leave now,” Clarus stated, he was checking the time on his phone.

“Yeah sure.” Gladiolus turned to Prompto “Gotta get going but, keep up the good work yeah?”

Prompto nodded emphatically in response.

Gladiolus rose from the sofa and made towards the doorway, Cor stepped into the room passing Gladiolus to take his seat next to Prompto again.

“You okay Prompto?” Cor inquired.

“Yes!” Prompto chimed. 

Cor seemed puzzled at Prompto's response, he replied after a short pause. “Good, I'm pleased.”

Prompto looked over at Gladiolus and Clarus excitedly returning his gaze to Cor. “Will the allies be returning Cor?”

“Why don't you try asking them yourself Prompto?”

“Yes.” Prompto was flustered he turned to face the guests. “Will... will you be returning?”

“I'm sure we can make time for it Prompto,” Clarus said kindly

“Yeah, we gotta check how strong you're getting,” Gladiolus added.

“Won't let you down!” Prompto squeaked. “Cor!” Prompto fidgeted in his seat and tapped his hand on his chest again. “I'm going to do it. I'll be a success.”

Cor smiled at his ward, he felt hopeful, confident even that Prompto would see his claim through.

“We'll see ourselves out now, Cor, Prompto, it's been a pleasure.” Clarus announced. “Gladio, Ready?”

“Yeah I'm ready. See you soon!” .

“I'm looking forward to it,” Cor replied earnestly he nudged Prompto to respond.

“G- Goodbye.” he managed.

Clarus turned to exit with Gladiolus in tow.


	2. Chapter 2

Gladiolus quizzed his father about Prompto intensely in the few days after they had visited Cor's place. His father had obliged whenever Gladiolus asked and eventually even let him read Cor's report, it filled Gladiolus' head with the history of Magitek Troopers, Niflheim's atrocious practices and various theories about Prompto. His hatred of Niflheim deepened, though at the same rate his sympathy for Prompto grew. His father stipulated, of course, that he should not share the information with anyone outside of the King's council, Prompto's existence was already a contentious issue and as such was highly classified. This meant that Gladiolus could technically talk to Ignis and Noctis about Prompto, since Ignis sat in on the majority of the council meetings anyway, and heck Ignis probably already knew something.

Gladiolus loved his job, but having a secret this big stewing inside of him was making it very difficult for him to stay focussed on his tasks. To cover for his distraction Gladiolus just went harder at everything. His personal training benefited although some were concerned he may be over exerting himself, and the trainees for the Crownsgaurd however were not as appreciative. A few of them grumbled about the intensity of Gladiolus' drills, which only resulted in Gladiolus chiding the recruits telling them to they'd better be ready for adversity.

The rest of the week passed by in a blur, training, more training, sleep, drills, harder drills, eventually the monotony broke on Friday evening just as he had finished up for the day and was heading towards the changing rooms. He received a text message from Noctis.

6:11 pm Hey, you up for pizza at mine tonight?

He felt relieved and spared no time answering.

6:11pm Iggy won't let you eat a whole one huh?

6:12pm Shut up  
6:12pm Get here 7pm or you get nothing

6:12pm Better make it 7:30, I'm still sweaty from training

6:12pm Gross.  
6:12pm You're Gross.  
6:12pm Fine. 7:30.

6:13pm See ya then

Gladiolus couldn't help but chuckle to himself, it was quite easy to joke around with Noctis, he was looking forward to spending time with him. He proceed to enter the changing rooms and got showered and changed in record time, giving him just under an hour to get to Noctis's apartment. It was a pleasant enough walk, but without the clatter of sparring weapons, gym equipment or the complaining of his trainees to keep his mind occupied Gladiolus' thoughts were soon dominated by Prompto again. It didn't matter that he knew Prompto was safe now, he still worried. He found himself focussing on some of the more gruesome details of Cor's report too intensely. All of these thoughts were only serving to deepen his concern.

He arrived at Noctis's apartment complex and checked the time on his phone. 7:10pm.

He pressed the intercom button and waited for an answer.

“A tad early aren't you?” Ignis's sounded amused.

“Yeah, I must've power walked or somthin'. Let me in?”

“Certainly.” The familiar buzzing sound welcomed Gladiolus into the building as he pushed the front door open. He walked up the three flights of stairs, his legs burning with fatigue he was beginning to think that the extra sets of squats might not have been worth it after all.

Ignis was waiting, holding the door open for him when he got to the top. He nodded in thanks as he crossed the threshold. He was about to walk straight into the apartment until a voice came from behind him.

“Shoes Gladio,” Ignis rebuked.

“Yeah, 'm sorry.” Gladiolus complied pulling his boots off and leaving them in the footwell.

The pair made their way through to the main living space.

As they entered the room the intoxicating smell of Ignis's cooking filled Gladiolus' nostrils. Fresh dough, tomato sauce and basil. Of course Ignis wasn't about to let Noctis order a pizza in. He had to stop himself from drooling.

“Gladiolus has arrived.” Ignis called out.

“So we can finally put the pizza in the oven now right?” Noct yelled back, he was slouched on the sofa, his eyes fixed on his phone, fingers rapidly tapping away on the screen. Gladiolus sat next to Noct and peered over at the phone screen. King's Knight again, and Noctis looked like he was struggling with the current dungeon.

Ignis walked over to the kitchen and proceeded to place the pizza into the oven.

“Ten minutes Noctis,” Ignis said with impatience whilst setting the kitchen timer, an indication for Noctis to stop playing his game.

“Tch, 'kay. I was losing anyway.” Noct closed the app and tossed his phone carelessly onto the coffee table.

Gladiolus had been uncharacteristically silent since he got in. Normally he would've at least cracked a joke or two. But there were no jokes. He sat still, one finger idly twirling the tassel on a throw cushion he'd pulled into his lap, letting the homely smells of the apartment wash over him, wondering if Prompto had ever eaten pizza before. It took Gladiolus a few seconds to realise Noctis was trying to talk to him.

“Hey! Dude? Are you even in there? I said do you want to watch a movie or something after dinner?”

“Oh, sorry sure,” Gladiolus' reply was flat.

“Is everything quite alright Gladio?” Ignis inquired.

“Yeah,” it was an automatic reply

“I'm not convinced big guy,” Noct said prodding him lightly in the side with his index finger, he didn't respond. Heck, he didn't even know what to say. 

“You seem to quite be out of sorts. I've heard that you've been training much harder than usual, is something bothering you?” Ignis probed.

Gladiolus flinched internally, he knew Ignis was concerned but sometimes it was overbearing. He let out a long sigh before finally opening up. “Have you guys, read any of Cor's mission reports lately?” He hoped they had, it would save him trying to explain he already felt awkward enough as it were.

“Nah, why would I read those? They aren't compulsory,” Noctis replied petulantly. Of course Noctis wouldn't have. He barely coasts by as it is, doing the bare minimum of work he could get away with.

“The most recent one? It was quite disturbing. He found one of those Niflheim Magitek Troopers. He's been given permission to rehabilitate it, the King commented it could be vital in our understan- Gladio?” Ignis looked startled.

“Ignis. He has a name. It's Prompto, I'm sure the report stated as such. I've met him and he's not and it or a thing. Okay?” Gladiolus strained desperately trying to hold back the full depth of his anger, he knew Ignis didn't mean any harm, but he couldn't bear listening to him talk like that about Prompto.

“Oh, I'm-,” Ignis floundered. “I wasn't aware... I'm sorry.”

Gladiolus breathed out slowly to calm himself. He knew his friend had only ever learnt about MT's from reports, so he had no reason to think differently about them. Gladiolus certainly hadn't until he met Prompto.

“I'm sorry too, it's just. If you could see this guy, he's, like us. It's just... been on my mind a lot.” Gladiolus regained his composure.

“What what? You met an MT? What do you mean like us?” Noctis cut in, his voice carried an earnest curiosity.

“Well, we thought they were like, just robots or something right? But they are just people. Born and raised to serve Niflheim's military.” Gladiolus was now squashing the throw cushion into his lap with both hands trying to contain his frustrations.

“But how... they are like empty?” Noctis's brow was wrinkled in confusion.

“Noctis really, this is why you should read all of the reports presented to the King. Not just the essential ones. I still have a copy of that very report in my briefcase, you can read it after dinner.” Ignis had managed to recover from his fumble and resume his role.

The oven timer started to beep before Noctis could protest against his advisor, the sound seemed to clear the air. Ignis saw to dinner, carefully cutting the pizza into equal slices whilst Noctis and Gladiolus set the table and took their seats. Ignis set the pizza dish down in the middle of the table as he seated himself.

It looked beautiful, a margarita with a thin crust, perfectly golden brown at the edges, cheese melted into gooey pools. Ignis barely had time to lay a napkin across his lap before Noctis and Gladiolus grabbed up their first slices greedily, Ignis couldn't help but shake his head with amusement as a few strands of cheese escaped Noctis's slice and trailed onto the table. Gladiolus was thankful for the food he hadn't realised how hungry he was at until he bit into his slice. The food tasted even better than it looked. The flavours were perfectly balanced, Gladiolus let out an involuntary pleased grunt as he swallowed the morsel.

Dinner was completely demolished within a few minutes. Ignis excused himself from the table he went to the hallway and retrieved the report from his briefcase for Noctis to read. He pressed it into Noctis's hands and retreated to the kitchen to finish cleaning up.

Noctis and Gladiolus headed back to the couch. Gladiolus took the time to relax, he sat with his head resting on the back of the sofa staring up at the ceiling, feeling just full enough to be comfortable. He enjoyed the sensation of letting his mind empty until he was stirred by the sound of Noctis practically hissing at the the papers in his hands.

“Hey,” he said, showing Noctis concern. He understood fully, it was fairly disturbing material that had been consuming the majority of his thoughts since Tuesday night when he first read it.

“This is awful. Gladiolus. I can understand why you were mad at Specs before,” Noctis spoke through gritted teeth.

“I know. Don't hold it against Iggy though, all the older reports about MT's are extremely cold. Cor has really made a breakthrough though, everything we think about MT's will change now and Prompto is... he's like... amazing.”

“Glad, you sound like you're talking about a puppy or something.” Noctis teased.

“Shut up!” Gladiolus gently and playfully pushed Noctis with his shoulder. They laughed together, Gladiolus was glad to have a friend like Noctis he could cut loose and joke around with.

“This guy though, Prompto? He's like, my age. Damn. I had no idea. His life was basically robbed and, there's so many more people out there that are still being tortured.” A passion burned brightly in Noctis's eyes that Gladiolus hadn't seen in awhile. The duality in Noctis's nature rarely ever came out in quick succession like this, it was a powerful reminder of his position in the world.

Ignis returned from the kitchen area and sat the on other side of Noctis, of course he'd been listening in on everything closely.

“I'm sorry for my assumptions earlier Gladiolus. I didn't intend to be hurtful,” Ignis spoke sincerely

Gladiolus waved his hand dismissively “No. It's fine Iggy seriously, I've just been kinda, pent up about this all week, obviously y'know 'cause it's classified. I just felt overwhelmed, I'm glad to have friends to share with.”

“So tell us, what's Prompto actually like? The report is all... stuffy. Like Specs.” Noctis laughed, never one to try and sustain a serious mood.

“Excuse me? You weren't calling me names when you were eating my food earlier,” Ignis sounded stern but he was smiling. “I have to admit I'm curious too. You do seem rather protective over this new acquaintance of yours Gladio.”

“Well, he's tryin' real hard to get better, and he's still full of life in spite of it all y'know... And, I know he's still got a long way to go but there's just this light about him. I can't even begin to imagine what those Nifs put him through, and yet he pushes through. It's inspiring.”

It was rare for Gladiolus to be this honest with his feelings. Yes, he trusted his friends deeply, but he felt vulnerable revealing how he felt about Prompto. It made him feel uneasy, the same way he felt when he was pressed to talk about what he liked about his father or his sister.

“Thanks for sharing Gladio,” Ignis said softly.

“Yeah thanks, made me a bit jealous though, never catch you talking about me like that,” Noctis with a bratty tone.

“If you actually stuck to your sparring sessions and weren't such a little shit then maybe I would!” Gladiolus exclaimed.

“Ouch. I'm wounded,” Noctis shot back.

“Yes, and if you could keep up to date with your princely duties it wouldn't hurt either,” Ignis added

“Not you too Specs!”

Gladiolus and Ignis laughed in unison at Noctis.

It was exactly this that could calm Gladiolus down, just hanging out and joking around. He felt lucky to have it.

In the end Noctis picked some terrible action movie to watch that they barely paid any attention to, they let it run in the background and picked up King's Knight and finally got through the dungeon Noctis had been stuck on.

As the night drew darker Gladiolus realised he best be getting home. He thanked Ignis for the food, bid farewell to his friends and left the apartment. He decided to jog home, the weather was right for it and he didn't feel up to calling one of the citadel cars to give him a lift.

He was about a block away from his home when his phone began to ring. He checked the screen, it was Cor. He hastily hit the accept call button and pressed the phone to his ear.

“Hi, Gladiolus?”

“Hey Cor, everything okay?” Gladiolus' panic betrayed him and transferred into his voice.

“Yeah, don't worry. Everything's fine. Oh... I guess it is a little late to be calling you. Sorry I'm finding difficult to keep the time at the moment.”

Because of the darkness in the house Gladiolus thought, he didn't say it out loud though.

“So what's up?”

“This is going to sound weird. Could you pick up some new clothes for Prompto and drop them by tomorrow? O-Only if you are free though.”

“Uh, yeah sure? I'm free but why me?” Gladiolus was a bit puzzled by the request.

“I just want him to look, like he fits in? Besides, I'm reluctant to leave Prompto on his own again.” Cor felt his face burning with embarrassment and was so very glad this conversation was happening over the phone. He was thinking it but couldn't bring himself to admit “I'll dress him like a 40 year old, it will look weird.” Prompto already looked silly enough wearing Cor's spare clothes as it was.

“Sure, just like casual style right?”

“Yeah, I'll text you his sizes afterwards, about 4 sets should do for now, oh, he struggles with sleeves, so tank tops if you can find them. And of course I'll reimburse you the money.” Cor tried to push away the feeling that he sounded like doting mother, he wasn't used to any of this. He hoped Gladiolus wouldn't mention anything to Clarus, he wouldn't live it down after he got back from leave.

“Yeah I can do that, no worries. Hey, how is Prompto doing anyway?”

Cor was relieved by how laid back and non-judgemental Gladiolus was.

“He's doing better than when you saw him last. He isn't being sick as much which is a relief. He keeps asking about you though, so I'm sure he'll glad to see you tomorrow.” Cor smiled remembering earlier that day when Prompto was babbling on about showing Gladiolus how he'd improved.

“Oh, cool. It's good to hear he's doing well! I'll see you both tomorrow then.”

“Yeah. See ya.”

Cor hung up.

Gladiolus stood with his phone still pushed up against his ear for a while. So Prompto was asking about him. That made Gladiolus feel strange, not unpleasant, just strange. Did Prompto really look up to him, even after that one brief visit? He realised he was still holding his phone to his ear when Cor's text came through. Gladiolus looked over it, damn, Prompto was tiny compared to himself, at least that meant that he wouldn't have any problems trying to find something in a regular clothing store. Gladiolus himself often struggled to find a top that could actually be pulled over his broad shoulders and chest.

He pushed the phone back into his jeans pocket and ambled around the corner to his house. As he passed through the security gates and then the front door using his keycard he noticed the study room light was still on, his father was working late again, as usual. It seemed like all the hard training from the week had hit him all at once as he endeavoured to pull himself up the stairs excruciatingly, one step at a time. When he reached the study he knocked on the door lightly then poked his head through.

“Hi.”

“Oh, Gladiolus.” Clarus was startled, he looked up from his papers rubbing his temples. “What time is it?”

Gladiolus pulled his phone out. The time read 12:15am, maybe he'd stayed out at Noctis's a little too long.

“It's a quarter past midnight. I'm heading to bed now, don't stay up too late Dad.”

“It's okay, I'm nearly finished.”

“Okay, just don't sleep in and be late for breakfast, Iris will be annoyed again, remember last Saturday?” Gladiolus said, partially in jest but he also knew how much it meant to Iris to have breakfast together as a family as least once a week. Iris was still attending school, she didn't have the chance to see their father at the Citadel like he did.

“Don't worry, I'll be there,” Clarus promised

“'Kay night,” Gladiolus said around a yawn.

“Goodnight son,” Clarus smiled.

Gladiolus lazily pushed the door open to his room and turned on his bedside lamp, he made sure to set an alarm on his phone for 7:30am and placed the phone on the small table next to his bed. He kicked his boots off and flopped face first onto his sweet, soft pillow, he thought maybe he should at least take his jeans off but sleep encroached upon him before he even had time to turn his lamp off. He drifted off, into the most restful sleep he'd had all week.


	3. Chapter 3

The obnoxious sound of the alarm roused Gladiolus from his sleep, he looked towards the bedside table only to be temporarily blinded by the lamp he'd left on the previous night. He swatted around his bedside table for his phone and tapped to stop the alarm, he then fumbled for the lamp switch and successfully turned it off.

“Gross, slept in my clothes,” Gladiolus said to himself, he felt uncomfortably sweaty. Looking down he discovered that he's managed to worm his way underneath the covers during the night. He threw the covers off and peeled himself from the mattress, grimacing at the sticky sensation the night's sweat had left on his skin. His muscles were in agony, too much exercise, he realised he was going to have to take it easy today. He finally pushed himself off of the bed, stretched out and headed to the shower in his en-suite. After ridding himself of his clothing he stood in the cubicle and turned the shower on, he welcomed the sensation of the warm water against his skin. He stood underneath the stream for a while and recalled Cor's request to his mind. He guessed he would just go to the sports outlet store, not too fancy and almost guaranteed to have tank tops. Gladiolus stood static underneath the warm water, the heat felt like a salve for his overworked body and he didn't feel like moving but eventually he forced himself to wash properly.

After he'd finished showering and was changed into a new set of clothes he checked his face in the mirror, he decided he could probably get away without shaving today. He started the task of combing his hair through when there was a loud repetitive knocking at his bedroom door.

“Gladdy come on! Breakfast! Even Dad beat you to the table!” Iris whined.

“Yeah, I'll be down in a sec.” Gladiolus called back lazily.

“You'd better be!” Iris threatened before she proceeded to stomp down the stairs indignantly. Gladiolus couldn't help but laugh to himself, he thought it was cute when she was being bratty but there was no way he would ever tell her that.

Once he had sufficiently tamed his hair he made his way down to the kitchen. His father was already sitting at the head of the table and Iris was shuffling around in the kitchen area plating up their breakfast. It was simple just eggs, bacon and toast. Iris wasn't the best cook so she stuck to what she knew she could handle, she mostly enjoyed cooking for her family when she had the chance and they were more than happy to eat whatever she made.

“Iris come on!” Gladiolus said imitating his sisters earlier whine as took his usual place to the right of their father.

“Just be patient Gladdy! I want to make sure it's perfect.” She said delicately applying butter to each toast slice.

“Why? You weren't patient, you nearly knocked my door off of it's hinges earlier.” Gladiolus said stifling a snicker.

“Argh! Whatever! Here it's ready!” She carried everything over on a tray, taking care to give their father his plate and glass of juice first and then she took her own whilst sitting opposite Gladiolus.

“What, am I in the doghouse or somethin'? You'll hand Dad his breakfast but I have to reach for it?” Gladiolus' voice was laced with false indignation as he retrieved his plate from the tray.

Iris simply poked out her tongue, her default response to when she didn't have a good comeback.

“Children-” Clarus tried to admonish them both but ended up just chuckling and shaking his head softly,

In between mouthfuls of food the family talked, sharing in the mundane aspects of their week and cracking the occasional joke between them. The atmosphere in the room was loving and pleasant. When everyone was finished Gladiolus took the dishes to the sink and washed them up without complaint, he looked on peacefully at his family. Iris complained to their father about her maths homework assignment, he tried to explain it to her but it only served to frustrate her more.

As pedestrian as it was, the Saturday breakfast tradition was incredibly important to all of them, it helped them to feel like a real family, they could ignore their royal duties for a while and just simply be themselves.

“Okay, I'm done with the dishes, I gotta go out,” Gladiolus announced. Iris's face scrunched up in disapproval. “Sorry, got some errands to run for Cor.”

“No~ Stay and help me do my homework! Dad's just confusing me more... When you explain, it's not as complicated!”

“Sorry Iris, I've got things to do,” Gladiolus responded.

“You're useless,” Iris huffed under her breath.

“Gladiolus, please send Cor my apologies,” Clarus requested. “I wanted to visit this but I've been inundated with work this weekend.”

“Yeah sure thing, I'll let him know... Okay I'm really leaving now. Hope you both have a good day.”

“You too son,” Clarus replied.

Iris wordlessly gave her older brother a hug, Gladiolus reciprocated awkwardly, lightly patting her on the back, Iris gave him a squeeze before flopping back down in her seat. He knew Iris missed having regular family interaction, it was a constant source of guilt for both himself and his father.

Gladiolus made his way out of the kitchen and onto the front porch. He called a car from the citadel to pick him up and take him to the Crown City main shopping district. The weather was very agreeable. Despite the fact it was early November the air was cool and the skies clear, the last of the autumn leaves were falling from the trees planted around the perimeter of the garden, leaving a warm carpet of red and orange across the front lawn. It wasn't long before the car arrived and Gladiolus was being whisked away from his home into the grey streets of Insomnia.

The drive took longer than Gladiolus would've liked, the weekend traffic in the city left some roads extremely packed and slow moving. It was already 10am by the time they reached main strip, he gave instructions to the driver to pick him up again in an hour and take him to Cor's, the driver accepted and waved him off as he exited the car.

Gladiolus walked straight towards the outlet store he thought about earlier, he usually shopped there himself. He stood in the entrance to the store, it felt weird to be picking out clothes like this. He started immediately toward the basic unbranded clothes section. He remembered that Cor just wanted Prompto to fit in, and Gladiolus didn't want to overthink his task too much. He knew it would be much simpler if he just went with his gut feelings.

After a short while he'd managed to pick out what he reckoned was a decent selection, four tank tops in various dark colours, a couple of pairs of cargo shorts, a pair of black jeans, a 7-pack of generic black underwear and a similarly generic 7-pack of black socks. Contented with his decision he made for the checkout and left the store. He checked the time. 10:45am. He looked around the shopping plaza for something to kill the time before the car returned, he was vaguely acquainted with the various stores and cafés but nothing close by caught his attention.

Gladiolus realised he should probably let Cor know he was on his way. He pulled out his phone, finding Cor's name in his contacts and hit call. It rang a fair few times before Cor picked up.

“...Hi Gladiolus,” Cor sounded tense.

“Hey Cor. I hope I didn't disturb anything.”

“No, sorry. Prompto is talking to me. One second,” Cor had put his hand over the phone to try and mute the sound but it only muffled it. Gladiolus could make out the conversation on the other side. “Prompto... Yes, it's Gladiolus.”

“Is he near?” Prompto questioned, he was just barely audible.

“I'll ask him.” The hand was removed and Cor's voice got clearer “How far away are you?”

“I'm just waiting on the car to show up. I'll probably be about 30-40 minutes.”

“That's good. Prompto is... very enthusiastic about seeing you again. I hope that isn't overwhelming.”

“A little...” Gladiolus laughed nervously “But, I'll be happy to see him again.”

Cor exhaled steadily as if Gladiolus' sentiment was a relief he finally spoke again. “I trust you were able to find some suitable clothes.”

“Oh yeah, It's all basic but you just wanted normal right? And I managed to get tank tops too, I hope he likes everything.”

“I imagine he will. Okay, I'll let you go. See you soon. Sorry. Hang on. Prompto wants to say something.” Muffled bumping sounds indicated that Cor had passed the phone on

“See you soon!” Prompto piped through the speaker into Gladiolus' ear.

“Yeah!” Gladiolus practically squeaked back, he was caught off guard. He cleared his throat and started again. “Yeah, I'll see you soon.”

“Okay! Goodbye!” Prompto declared. Gladiolus' ear filled with the drone of the disconnect tone. He stood blinking for a few seconds. It was hard to reconcile the fact that up until now Prompto's life had been awful and yet... and yet he was capable of being so innocent and energetic.

The car showed up shortly after the phone call ended, luckily the traffic had eased off making the drive to Cor's a lot more pleasant than the drive into town. Gladiolus felt excited, he was looking forward to seeing Prompto again more than he cared to admit to anyone.

The car pulled up on the street just in front of Cor's driveway. Gladiolus thanked the driver and left the vehicle. Gripping the shopping bag tightly in his fist he walked up the gravel driveway to the front door and pressed the intercom.

“S-State your name and business!” It was Prompto, nervously but purposefully mimicking Cor's usual protocol.

“Hey it's Gladiolus. Can I come in?”

“Yes!” Prompto replied eagerly, the characteristic sound of the buzzer followed. Gladiolus pushed open the door and closed it behind him immediately. The awful smells he remembered from his last visit were now absent, the air was filled with an indistinguishable pleasant musk that reminded Gladiolus of his own home. As Gladiolus' eyes adjusted to the low light he noticed Cor and Prompto were stood about two feet in front of him, the smile on Prompto's face seemed to stretch from ear to ear.

“Ally Gladiolus! You came back! Thank you. I, I want to show you- I've improved,” Prompto was speaking too fast, tripping over his words frantically. Gladiolus didn't have time to think let alone reply.

“Prompto please calm down, he's only just got here, we'll have plenty of time,” Cor sighed, it seemed half from frustration, half from amusement.

“A-Affirmative.”

“It's good to see you, Prompto,” Gladiolus said warmly.

“It's good to see you too!” Prompto was nearly bouncing as he responded, it seemed now that his overall health was better he had a lot more energy, it was heartening.

”Should we go sit down?” Cor suggested, Prompto rushed to the sitting room and held the door open for his companions. Gladiolus nodded at Prompto in thanks as he walked past to sit down the armchair he'd occupied on his last visit. Cor and Prompto took seats on the sofa.

“Did you manage to get everything Gladiolus?” Cor asked.

“Oh yeah, here.” Gladiolus handed the bag over to Cor. “I hope it's okay, I left the receipt inside.”

Cor pulled the clothes out of the bag one by one, he looked each item over and handed them to Prompto afterwards. “What do you think Prompto? Do you think they look more comfortable than my baggy old clothes?”

“Yes,” Prompto replied bluntly.

“After Gladiolus leaves you can try them on.” Cor replied smiling with amusement at Prompto's tactless response. After trying and failing to fold the clothes back up Prompto grabbed the shopping bag from Cor's lap and stuffed the clothes back inside and placed he bag on the floor.

“Thank you Gladiolus, Cor told me, he sent you to pick something. Subject doesn't like wearing these.” Prompto pulled on the long sleeves on the sweater he was wearing.

“No problem Prompto. I'm happy to help. How have you been anyway?”

“Good! I've been getting good results! Can I show him Cor?” Prompto fidgeted whilst waiting for a response, shifting his weight from one side of his body to another in anticipation.

“Okay, but don't over do it,” Cor was deadly serious, the contrast in tone between the older man and his ward was unsettling to Gladiolus. He would soon understand Cor's warning.

Prompto walked across the room to the window carefully observing the gap in the blinds, he rolled up his sleeve and plunged his hand into the stream of light. An expression of sheer agony twisted his features, it was clear he was in pain. However instead of giving up he exhaled slowly and steadied himself. He rotated his hand in the light observing how the beams slipped through the gaps in his fingers, making patterns on the carpet behind him. Gladiolus stared on, his stomach in knots, he almost couldn't bear watching Prompto put himself through this ordeal but he knew it was necessary. Suppressing a whimper Prompto pulled his hand away and turned to look back into the room, his gaze intense.

“Cor, duration?” Prompto demanded.

“One minute and thirty seconds,” Cor responded checking the time on his watch.

“Not the best result,” Prompto chided himself.

“No but in the past week you've improved so much. I'm glad,” Cor reassured the younger man.

“That's true, Ally Gladiolus! At the beginning of this week I could only sustain contact with the sunlight for twenty seconds!” Prompto looked proud of himself, he smiled brightly whilst cradling his hand against his body as if to soothe it.

“You are getting stronger, see I told you so,” Gladiolus asserted, determined to be a positive voice for Prompto.

“Thank you Gladiolus, you- When I think about your words it makes me try harder. It's... good.” he maintained eye contact with Gladiolus as he spoke, and he'd let his aching hand fall into Cor's grasp. Cor checked over it wordlessly making sure there was no damage, something about how relaxed Prompto was with being inspected in this way unsettled Gladiolus. Images flashed into his mind of faceless scientists prodding and poking Prompto, he blinked consciously and tried to return to the moment. He couldn't. And he couldn't find his words. He wanted desperately to be supportive but the nature of Prompto's condition was too much to take in. He was in awe of Cor who seemed to take everything in his stride. In contrast Gladiolus felt inept, hating himself for feeling overwhelmed.

His feelings must have leaked into his expression since he found himself the subject of Prompto's questioning. “Gladiolus, are you in pain?”

The question caught Cor's attention, he let go of Prompto's hand once he was sure it was injury free and turned to look at Gladiolus carefully. Gladiolus was gritting his teeth, Cor recognised that he was not in physical pain, but knew all too well that being around Prompto was very demanding. Prompto looked at Cor with panic in his eyes.

“Gladiolus, do you need a minute?” Cor's voice was compassionate.

Gladiolus shook his head quickly, to clear his mind. “No. I'm Sorry. I'll be alright,” he managed.

“It's okay. I know it can be hard,” Cor assured him, knowing it was better not to press for him to open up. Gladiolus preferred to work through his own feelings, Cor knew this much from training with him as he grew up.

“Thanks.” Gladiolus felt steadied by Cor's assertion. It's okay, it can be hard, he repeated to himself internally.

Prompto spent this exchange looking from Gladiolus to Cor frantically, when Gladiolus noticed this it snapped him out of his head spin.

“I'm okay Prompto, sorry if I scared you,” Gladiolus apologised in earnest.

“Subject doesn't understand. Does the Ally have a condition?” in his panic Prompto unintentionally reverted to his natural way of speaking.

“How to say this? Prompto, where you were living before it's very different to here in Insomnia. When I think about how different it is, it makes me feel upset,” Gladiolus said softly.

“Feel upset.” Prompto mirrored puzzling out the phrase until it looked like something clicked together in his mind. “I remember something Cor told me. Feeling upset, that is an... emotion?” It sounded like a question but it was more of a statement.

Cor simply nodded to urge Prompto on.

“Here Subje-... I, I am valued. I can contribute to research and, it is more rewarding than the old program. We make progress together. It is very different here, there are many things I do not understand, and yes, I too... feel upset at times when I remember how things were at the Base-” Prompto looked as though he was struggling yet again to find what he wanted to say, but with a familiar gesture he placed his hand over his heart as he had done a few days before and continued. “-Gladiolus, I believe I understand now, but please do not keep this upset with you, I will go through difficulties but what happened before, that's over now.”

“Th- Thank you Prompto.” Gladiolus was taken aback by Prompto's stoic response, it had been just a few days since he had visited last and he could already see the improvement. It was clear that there was a wealth of compassion and intellect in Prompto waiting to take full form, obscured by years of brainwashing, harsh training and neglect.

“You're welcome!” Prompto beamed.

Gladiolus breathed out and sunk back into his seat, realising he hadn't really relaxed since he'd arrived at Cor's place. As he reclined he began to notice he was getting quite hungry, he'd also forgotten to pick anything up whilst he was out.

“Hey. I'm pretty hungry and I forgot to pick any lunch earlier, don't suppose you've got anything?” Gladiolus asked.

Cor checked the time on his watch.

“Oh, yeah. It is lunch time... I'm a bit low on groceries, but somehow I figure you'd be fine with Cup Noodles?” Cor would've felt embarrassed to admit to anyone else that he and Prompto had largely been getting by on Cup Noodles and microwave dinners, but this was Gladiolus after all.

“Yes. I would be very fine with that. Thanks,” Gladiolus replied with a wide smile.

“I want one too please!” Prompto piped up.

“Okay, okay. I'll go make them,“ Cor said, gently laughing before getting up and sloping off into the kitchen.

“Gladiolus?”

“What's up?”

“What's your... job? Yes, job. What is it like? Cor told me, you both work for the royal family of Insomnia. It sounds very interesting and important,” Prompto had an inquisitive tone to his voice.

“It is quite important. I guess it can be interesting but it's mostly routine. I train hard to be strong enough to defend the Prince Noctis, and I teach others to do the same. I'm also responsible for training Noctis in combat skills but he can be very difficult about it sometimes.” Gladiolus paused to laugh. “It's not easy but, I'm proud of my work.”

“Wow, it must be an honour to work directly for a Prince. I can't even imagine being assigned to such a task,” Prompto mused.

Gladiolus couldn't help but burst into laughter at this assertion.

“Why? Why are you laughing?”

“If you knew the Prince then you'd understand why. I guess yes, it's a honour to work for him. But he's also a lazy brat.”

“You. You talk about him that way?” Prompto looked shocked. “Isn't that disrespectful? Won't you be punished?”

“Oh! Hey, don't worry. It's okay, Noctis and I are friends, he doesn't mind. We both trash talk each other.”

“Trash talk? I've not heard that before...” Prompto was confused again.

“That's, when you are friends with someone it's okay to point out each others flaws and laugh about them. It's erm...”

“It's a bonding exercise, think of it as a way to strengthening teamwork. By pointing out each others flaws and shortcomings each individual can become aware of them,” Cor interrupted walking into the room carrying a tray with three Cup Noodles each accompanied by forks.

“Oh! Thank you Cor. I'll try to remember. Trash talking,” Prompto chimed.

“Yeah...Thanks Cor,” Gladiolus said as he rubbed the back of his neck abashedly.

“Cor, did you know that Gladiolus is... friends? Friends, with the Prince! That's impressive! Don't you think?”

Cor could only chuckle as he handed the meals out and sat back down again, they all started to dig in without exchanging a word. Gladiolus was trying to savour his since he really enjoyed the taste but couldn't resist devouring it like a hungry dog, after all he hadn't eaten for since the morning. When everyone had finished Cor took the empty cups and forks to the kitchen and returned. Gladiolus was fully relaxed now, he lounged back in the armchair contentedly one hand patting his stomach.

“I'm glad you enjoyed it, it's hardly gourmet cooking,” Cor said regarding Gladiolus' current state.

“No, but you know me. Can't resist Cup Noodles, you should see the look on Ignis's face when I choose to eat one over his cooking. Priceless…” Gladiolus trailed off into laughter.

“Wh- Who's Ignis?” Prompto bubbled with curiosity.

“He also works for the Crownsguard, and he's also Noctis's advisor. We've worked together for a long time,” Gladiolus offered.

“Are you friends with him too?” There was a slight hint of jealousy in Prompto's voice.

“Well, yeah. It's hard not to be friends with someone you've known for most of your life.”

Prompto looked down into his lap and swallowed hard before raising his gaze to make direct eye contact. “A- Are we friends Gladiolus?”

The question took Gladiolus by surprise but he wasted no time answering. “Of course we are Prompto.”

Prompto could only beam in response, this time he was lost for words but not because he was overcome with confusion, but because he was overwhelmed with joy, Cor had a gentle smile on his face too.

They spent the rest of the afternoon chatting, Prompto asked question after question to both Gladiolus and Cor. More specifics about the Crownsguard, who were the Kingsglaive, what Ignis and Noctis were truly like. The older men happily obliged, telling anecdotes and giving detailed descriptions when Prompto didn't completely comprehend. It wasn't until the sun was starting to get low in the sky, and sunbeams invaded further into the room from the gap between the blinds that Gladiolus realised how long they'd been talking and laughing together.

“Hey, it's been real fun but I'm gonna call a car and head back home. I'm not sure if my Dad's back yet but I know Iris'll probably be lonely,” Gladiolus said sighing.

“Iris?” Prompto enquired.

“My younger sister, I guess I didn't mention her before, sorry. She hates the weekends because Dad and I always end up working but I think I owe her the occasional evening.”

“Wow, after all I've learnt today, there's still more I don't know about you.”

“Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to learn.” Gladiolus smiled kindly at Prompto who smiled back brightly.

“How is your father anyway?” Cor asked.

“Oh! I totally forgot to say. He said he's sorry he couldn't make it this time, he's got too much work going on.”

“Don't worry Gladiolus, I understand how it is, give him my regards.”

“C-Cor? Should I ask him?” Prompto butted in.

“Go ahead Prompto,” Cor encouraged.

“Gladiolus, would it be too much trouble if you came by every week? I... Enjoy seeing you,” Prompto asked nervously.

“Of course I will!” Gladiolus answered earnestly and without hesitation.

“Th-Thankyou!” Prompto stammered excitedly.

“I told you he'd be okay with it Prompto,” Cor added whilst lightly ruffling Prompto's hair. Gladiolus tried not to react, this was the most affectionate he'd ever seen Cor behave. He felt awkward like he'd seen something too personal. Although it was understandable, Prompto had a magnetism that derived from his natural curiosity and sheer determination it was very difficult not to feel affection for him.

Gladiolus called a citadel car and chatted a little more with Cor and Prompto until it arrived. He said his goodbyes, whilst reinforcing that he would, in fact, be back next Saturday. Prompto bounced around proclaiming he'd be even stronger next time. Gladiolus left and got into the car feeling very positive, almost like a weight had been lifted now that he'd seen Prompto make a definite improvement. It was a welcome relief after he'd been internally fixated on the content of Cor's reports all week.

It was already early evening, which meant the traffic along the streets had improved significantly. Gladiolus spent the journey staring out of the car window, appreciating his surroundings.

It was only a few minutes before he reached his home, he headed inside and found that his father was still away, no surprises there. He headed to the living room where Iris had her maths homework sprawled out across the coffee table, she was sat on the floor in between the sofa and the table, slumped over, her chin resting on her math textbook, arm outstretched clutching the remote control, listlessly flipping through TV channels. It looked like she'd been there for hours procrastinating. When Gladiolus approached, her face lit up with glee and Gladiolus knew what she was going to ask him. He was roped into helping her out after all.

**Author's Note:**

> These are the first three chapters to Sol (https://archiveofourown.org/works/10906404). I have since re-written those chapters but I'm keeping the originals here for posterity.


End file.
